Water change questions

[msujohn]

When you do water changes:

- Do you shut off your return pump, power heads, skimmer, ATO, etc?
- Do you vacuum the sand completely?
- Do you vacuum out the sump as well?

 

[Fishmommy]

Shut everything off. I siphon from the main tank and leave the sump alone, but others vacuum the sump instead/also. I clean the sump only rarely

 

[MysteryReef]

I shut everything down too....My sump only gets touched a few times a year. I always have a cleanup crew/fish combo that stirs the sand bed enough for me to not have a need to touch it....

 

[msujohn]

I shut everything down too....My sump only gets touched a few times a year. I always have a cleanup crew/fish combo that stirs the sand bed enough for me to not have a need to touch it....

What kind of CUC/Fish combo do you have?

 

[gone fishin]

I shut everything down, I siphon different parts of the sand bed each time I do a WC. I do the sump a couple times a year or when needed.

 

[dogface 13]

I shut everything off. I do vacuum the sand, as mine gets dirty really quick and have a ton of livestock so it's always being dirtied up. Sump i rarely do, let the gizmos grow

 

[Stackemdeep]

I shut everything down, I siphon different parts of the sand bed each time I do a WC. I do the sump a couple times a year or when needed.

^^^This. Except I'm lazy and the sump might be once a year.

 

[Teenreefer15]

I don't shut anything off since I just have a small nuvo tank and I haven't had to clean the sumo yet

 

[oakengineer]

The return chamber of my sump is smaller than my average water change, so that means I pretty much have to shut off my return pumps. If I had a choice, I might leave them on to help keep the water clearer while I'm siphoning the sand bed.

 

[Dan_P]

When you do water changes:

- Do you shut off your return pump, power heads, skimmer, ATO, etc?

Depends on how much water is removed. If you are doing small, daily changes, you may not drop the level below pump intakes. Large changes will drop the water level below pump intakes, so, pumps off.

[QUOTE- Do you vacuum the sand completely?[/QUOTE]

Never! Do not disturb the sand bed. It is your biological filter. Vacuum the surface only.

- Do you vacuum out the sump as well?

I used to until I installed a filter on water line coming from the tank. Now my sump bottom is relatively clean for months at a time. Vacuum if you wish.